The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord's journey through Samaria
- Chapter 59 -
The fruitful blessing in a small village in Samaria.
When the innkeeper came home, his wife said on a sulking tone to him: "Why did you not call me with the other children, so that I also, together with the other children could have properly said goodbye to that wonderful Savior?"
2
The innkeeper said: "Woman, if that were necessary, then the Savior Himself would surely have called you, but since it was really not necessary, you were not called because of your little unbelief. And if you had come to know the Savior more closely, then soon the whole city would have known about His presence, which He did not want, and so it is good that He Himself let it all happen that way. Soon, when our doctor will come home again and who will certainly visit us, you will soon enough hear who that wonderful Savior in fact was.
3
But take care now to prepare everything, for in about 1/2 hour a considerable caravan of businessmen will come in to our place, as the really all-knowing Savior has announced me beforehand, and then we will have much to do. Thus see to it that everything in the kitchen will be prepared."
4
When the woman heard that, she went hastily to the kitchen and put all her male and female helpers to work, because now she believed what the innkeeper told her about what I announced to him.
5
When all kinds of food, which were usually served to businessmen, were almost completely ready to be eaten, the caravan that was announced by Me arrived. Being extremely surprised they asked how the innkeeper could have known this time beforehand that they would arrive at that time.
6
They still talked a lot about this after that, and the businessmen understood soon how the innkeeper knew the time of their arrival. Then several businessmen, who already heard about Me before, believed in Me.
7
Meanwhile we quietly traveled on, and around noon we came close to a village that was still located in Samaria. Around the village there were many fruit trees, mostly figs, apples and peaches, and the disciples liked to satiate themselves a little with these fruits.
8
When we came fully into the village, the disciples asked to the few present villagers if they could pluck some of the fruits.
9
The villagers said: "That is surprising. Do you Jews want to eat fruit from us Samaritans?"
10
The disciples said: "It is true that we are Jews, but we are no Pharisees who hate you, and therefore we gladly would like to eat the fruits of your trees - if you want to give them to us - and we also want to pay you for them."
11
Then the villagers said: "Just eat as much as you like. However, money we will not accept from you, for we also did not ask money from God when He blessed our fruit trees."
12
Then the disciples went to them and ate according to their desire, and the more they ate, the fuller the trees became.
13
The villagers soon noticed this, went to the disciples and said: "How do you actually eat the blessing of our trees? We noticed very clearly that our trees are not only not losing any fruits, but the trees become also visibly full, so much so that their branches and twigs can hardly bear the weight. Do you not notice that, since you eat the fruits so indifferently? It is a clear and really obvious miracle."
14
Then the apostle Andreas said: "What you see, we see also. However, not we who are eating are causing this, but your unselfish neighborly love does that. We are strangers for you and you hospitably admitted us to eat without payment the sweet fruits of your fruit trees of which you troublesomely have to take care in this region. That was pleasing to God the Lord, and therefore He has now clearly visibly blessed your fruit trees before our and your eyes because of the friendship and love that you have shown to us.
15
It is true that this happens only seldom in this time, and it happens seldom because it is also extremely seldom that friendship and love is given to foreign travelers without they have to pay for it. For no matter where you go and expect a friendly service from someone, it is done against payment, but out of pure neighborly love it is done as seldom as such blissful miracle of God, as you can see now before your eyes.
16
So remain continuously faithful in the practice of unselfish neighborly love, and love God by keeping His commandments, then you will never have to complain about any lack of God's blessing. God remains always and eternally the same, only men are changeable, they forget Him in their worldly intoxication and consider His precepts as a product of pure human cleverness and will do then whatever their reason thinks is good. With such faith and such way of doing according to the worldly belief, God does not look anymore with His eye of mercy and love to men who have forgotten Him almost completely, but with His eye of wrath.
17
Under these circumstances in the life of men, divine blissful miracles are becoming very easily and surely extremely seldom occurrences on this Earth among men. But where there are still men who are still believing in God without doubting, who keep His commandments and who still have not defiled and polluted their hearts and souls with the evil greed for the worldly mammon, God shows Himself before them always as an extremely good Father who blesses His children, as it also happened during the time of the patriarchs. But to the children of this world who do not care about Him, He shows Himself as a relentless judge and He chastises them with all kinds of troubles, and His blessing right hand is not stretched out over worldly people.
18
If you, dear, simple inhabitants of this small village will take that at heart, you will also easily understand why God has obviously blessed your good will."
19
Then an elder of the village said: "Friend, you have spoken here very wisely in the name of Jehovah, and thereby you also have shown that you are not a follower of the evil teaching of the Pharisees. You have completely the same attitude as we have and you are truly right in every respect. I am already an old citizen of this village, and I know that its inhabitants are still strict followers of the precepts of Moses, by whom God has spoken. And the service that we have given you on your request, and which we did with gladness and with all our heart, we have already given to many other people who traveled through our little village and who were hungry and thirsty, but such miraculous blessing we have never experienced, although I thereby must honestly confess that despite all our generosity we never had to complain about any lack of God's blessing. But, as I said, we have never seen such remarkable blessing from God.
20
So there seems to be a very special circumstance here that for maybe very wise reasons you cannot or may not reveal to us. But so be it. This is now such a striking miracle that no one can deny, and we do not wish to ask any further questions to know its actual reason. Nevertheless, one thing attracts my attention: that One of you who waits for you on the road over there did not want to taste any of our fruits. Is He perhaps an arch-Jew who does not want to accept anything from Samaritans, or does He not like the fruit trees that grow here in our place?"
21
Andreas said: "Friend, He is neither one or the other. But he who will come to know Him, will have learned more than the whole world is ever capable to understand. That is also why He is the Lord and Master of us all."
22
These words of Andreas were attracting the attention of the elder, and therefore he said (the elder): "Was my opinion not correct when I said that with this striking miracle, apart from the special mercy from above, there is still a very special secret reason? And that secret reason can certainly be found in that Man, whom you called your Lord and Master. Is my opinion correct?"
23
Andreas said: "Friend, if you have that impression, then go to Him and talk to Him, for we know what we have to do and say, but He is the Lord and can do and say whatever He wills."